CNC routers often are used to machine parts from sheets of material such as plywood or particleboard. Such parts generally are arranged or nested on a sheet in an attempt to obtain the most efficient possible use of the material and to generate the least amount of scrap. Such process is known in the trade as “nested based manufacturing” when used in the manufacture of such articles as cabinets and furniture. For many of such products utilizing such process, certain parts must be machined on both sides. The traditional method of accomplishing this is to machine the first surface, cut the individual parts free, reload the cut parts onto the machine and process the backside of each part independently. In the prior art, there is provided a method for first performing such required cutting operations on the back side of a material sheet, next causing the CNC program to pause and prompt the operator to invert the sheet, and upon the completion of the manual inverting operation, completing the machining operation on the reverse side of the sheet. Although such prior art method has been an improvement over the previous method of machining both sides of a panel, such method presents a major drawback. Certain sheets of material, in sizes commonly used throughout the industry are both large and heavy inverting such sheets presents a major impediment in the machining operation. While the task of physically turning such sheets over by hand may be adequate for physically capable operators working with smaller, lighter materials, such approach presents a considerable undertaking, even the risk of physical injury to less physically capable operators. Even more capable operators may be challenged when handling larger, heavier materials.
In view of the foregoing, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which may be used by a machine operator to invert large panels mounted on the worktable of a machine for machining opposite surfaces of the panels.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a machine which would allow such a machine operator to perform such a panel inverting operation without risk of physical injury.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus operable to invert large panels mounted on the worktable of a machine in the least amount of time.